Bright
by Rue2Night
Summary: Lapis Lazuli and Peridot get to know each other through a shared love of earth music.
1. Bright

Chapter 1

It all started when I was introduced Steven's ipod.

"Did you see that shooting star tonight? Were you dazzled by the same constellations…"I sang along after the 5th time listening to the same song, wiping some loose blue hair out of my face. "...and now i'm shining bright, so bright."

I couldn't get enough of the catchy tones. Sure, we had music on home world, but it was usually music without words that were easy to dance to, or ballads of the Diamonds glory. There was nothing like this.

I danced around the barn in time to the music, my feet tripping over one another in time to the music mostly, I'm no Pearl after all so my dancing skills were rudimentary at best. I had decent singing skills though and was belting out the tunes at the top of my lungs.

"HEY LAPIS!" the shrill voice of my roommate comes from right outside the barn. "ARE YOU SINGING!"

"NO!" I lie back easily, stopping my dancing before she bursts through the door.

"YES YOU WERE!" Peridot still yells as the barges in, pointing a finger at me. "I know that earth song!" she continues in slightly lowered tones.

"So?" I lazily reply back.

"SO, it doesn't sound like that, and since you are the only one here, that means that the only one who could be singing along to it IS YOU!" She challenges back.

"What does it matter?" I shrug, turning away, not denying the fact but to self conscience to acknowledge the comment.

"IT JUST...does" Peridot lowers her voice, a sudden shyness in her voice causes me to turn back towards her. "...That's my favorite song...and your voice is pretty...NOT THAT IT MATTERS YOU CLOD!" She sticks her lip out pouting after balling up her fists beside her and then crossing her arms stubbornly in front of her, glaring at the dirt in front of her.

I can't help the laugh that escapes me at the sight. Honestly, Peri is too cute for her own good.

"Why are you laughing?" the little green dorito asks, eyeing my like I'm crazy.

The urge to tell her that she's cute rests on my tongue, but instead I go with, "Your right," I manage between giggles, "It's a great song, and thanks for the compliment." I shoot a wink at her for good measure.

Now she's looking away, though not before i see her blush, "Yeah..well..whatever. The Steven had taught me about music before you got here. I might add that I am pretty great at it myself. The Steven said so!" suddenly she gets excited. "He and I made a song together, though I prefer the one you were just singing… it somehow makes my insides feel weird, but I'm not broken!" She clarifies quickly. "The Steven says that music is supposed to do that. It's a type of feeling apparently. I don't fully understand it but I'm sure I will master it in time." The little green gem looks so pleased with herself, though I can see that she is nervous as well. The technician is not used to not understanding things and everything on Earth is obviously overwhelming for her, though she tries to hide it.

"Yeah," I agree. "It makes me 'feel' as well. I like it. Would you...would you like to sing with me?"

Peridot freezes, then stumbles over a few attempts at words, then freezes again, then suddenly "NO!... I mean, just that… I like listening to you do it." She says turning a deeper shade of green and looking anywhere but at me.

I can't help but stare fondly at the shorter gem as she looks pointedly away. I'm not sure when it had happened, but my feelings towards her had slowly shifted and our relationship with it. I couldn't pretend to be cold and standoffish with her anymore. She knew me too well for that now, not that she gave me any space before when I was literally trying to get her to leave me alone, but, I'm glad she didn't. Her persistence was part of what I started to admire about her. She was determined to make sure I wouldn't feel alone. The idiot. My idiot I guess. Good thing she's pretty oblivious though.

I let her squirm for another few seconds before saying "well then how about I sing and you dance with me?" I don't wait for a reply before moving back to the music device to start the song again.

"But, but I can't dance!" Peridot nervously.

"That's okay, just follow my lead." I saunter back to her, watching as she audibly gulps and shifts nervously. I reach her as the first word of the song begins. "May I?" I ask politely reaching for her hand.

Peridot wordlessly puts her hand in mine which I slowly bring to my own hips, grabbing her other hand so that we were in the human waltzing position and start twirling her around slowly.

"Is this okay?" I hesitantly check.

"This, this is adequate." The flustered gem replies.

I can't help but smile down at her as she watches her feet.

As the chorus begins, I start to sing for her causing her to look up at me. I can't hold her gaze so instead, I close my eyes and get lost in the song and the feel of her hand in mine and the heat of her hand on my waist. "Did you see that shooting star tonight. Were you dazzled by the same constellation. Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me. I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right, cause now i'm shining bright, so bright," I open my eyes and look at Peridot staring up at me. "And i get lost in your eyes." I trail off as the music player starts the next verse but not caring. Peridot is looking at me like I've never seen her look at me before and my heart is beating out of time of the music. I pull her closer to me and remove my hand from hers, placing it on her other shoulder as her's instinctively finds my waist. We continue swaying like that, neither of us break eye contact until the last verse comes to an end, and I grab her hand and twirl her out and back towards my on the final note, her body even closer to mine than before. We both are breathing heavily, despite not having to breathe as we continue to stare at one another.

Peridot is the first to break the stare, but she doesn't step away from me.

"Was that okay?" I ask again, bringing my hand up to cup her cheek, having her look at me once more.

"That was…"Peridot stumbles for words. "That made me feel. Like how the song does, but different. I don't know how to explain it, but I think it was okay." She finishes looking nervous about another thing she doesn't know.

"Okay." I reply with a smile. She doesn't understanding the feeling yet, but it's enough for now that she at least feels something, maybe what I'm feeling, about the whole thing.

I run my hand lightly across her cheek before letting her go and moving away. "How about some Camp Pining Hearts?"

A look I don't understand crosses her face before she decidedly nods her head and grabs my hand, dragging me to the TV. "Fine, but I pick the season!"

I laugh quietly, smiling at her hand in mine. "Okay."


	2. Kiss Me Slowly

It's been a few weeks (exactly 3 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, and 27 minutes) since my "encounter" with Lapis Lazuli. In this time span, things between us have become...awkward.

Of course we still watch Camp Pining Hearts, but Lazuli seems rather uncomfortable and restless now. I mean yesterday we only made it through half of season 3 and she wouldn't stop shifting around the entire time and didn't laugh at her favorite parts as hard as she usually does!

Also, she has been flying around by herself more often, like she did when we first became barnmates. She goes away for most of the daylight hours now and only returns as the earth's light source starts to go down to watch TV with me. The night time hours have become my favorite part of my day. The daylight hours are too, lonely.

I can only conclude that the "encounter" has made things weird between us and may have upset Lazuli in some way. She doesn't appear mad at me but she is certainly not as happy as she was before the event occurred, leaving me confused on how to remedy the situation.

I am also sad… the "encounter" is one of my favorite memories so far of earth. How I felt that night is like how I felt the first time I put on limb enhancers; powerful, strong, and seen. It was somehow more though. My heart was palpitating irregularly and I felt heat everywhere as Lazuli brought my hands to her waist. I could smell and see Lazuli in a much closer capacity and was amazed. I never noticed that her scent is like the beach in the morning, before the sun heats up the sand, or that her skin isn't a solid blue, but rather a multitude of different hues of blue that change as she moves like the waves of the ocean. When she held me close and we swayed to the beat of the music, I didn't feel short or inferior but powerful and seen as something of worth, something more than just a peridot. I felt happy, but now...I'm just alone again and confused.

I try to find new projects to distract myself with. In fact, the perma-fusion, I mean Garnet, recently stopped by and gave me a new CD. She said something along the lines of, "you'll need this," which I take as a sign that she is finally warming up to me. I foresee us being great friends in the future!

I of course start listening to it immediately. It's been my go-to tunes to work to for the past 3 days and I've found myself stuck on one song in particular. The CD says it's called Kiss Me Slowly. Of course I am well informed about the act of kissing as I've seen it many times on Camp Pining Hearts, but the song does bring with it an entirely different feeling. The man seems lonely too…

I tighten a bolt on the new engine I've built for the tractor to make it go even faster as I start humming as the song starts playing again (I figured out how to make it repeat over and over today). "Stay with me, baby stay with me. Tonight don't leave me alone." I only know half of the words so far so I alternate between singing and humming along until the chorus comes. I lean back from my work to enjoy the feel of the words in my mind without distraction and sing along with them. "Well I'm not sure what this is gonna be, but with my eyes closed all I see is the skyline, through the window…" I hum the next few lines, " Taste your lips and feel your skin," my mind supplies an image of Lazuli's soft blue skin, which causes me to blush but I try to forget it as I continue to sing. "When the time comes, baby don't run, j-" A voice behind me startles me into silence as I wipe around to face the owner. Lazuli fines the chorus with "just kiss me slowly." She delivers the line without breaking eye contact. My cheeks flush further from the intensity of her stare.

"L-Lazuli! I didn't know you were there. When," I clear my throat as my voice breaks and use the excuse of standing up to cover it. Starting again, "When did you get back!" I'm not nervous. Nope, not at all.

Lazuli shrugs, "Just now. When did you get the new music?"

I would say she looks suspicious but that doesn't make sense so I ignore it as I explain.

"3 days ago! Garnet gave it to me herself!" I tell her proudly. "The Crystal Clods, I mean, Gems, are starting to come around to me. I expect to be "buddies" with Garnet soon."

Lazuli turns to look at something over her shoulder and I swear I see her glaring but as she turns back she's giving me one of her slightly amused laughs. I like it when she laughs.

"I'm sure." she agree, still chuckling and I my smile grows at the affirmation.

This is the most animated she has been with me since the "encounter" and of course I'm at a loss for words because of it. All I can think about is how the music is still playing and how I just want to be close to her once again. My body starts swaying to the music instinctively and I notice that hers is doing the same. I take this small sign and resolve my courage. I want to be near her.

Slowly and carefully I walk the short distance towards her, keeping my eyes on hers, giving her the time and freedom to stop me or tell me know if she doesn't want this, but she just keeps smiling. I gently reach out one hand as I get closer to her and place it on her waist. I hear her sigh, but her body moves closer to mine as I slightly pull her towards me, bringing up my other hand to her waist to secure her in front of me.

Without looking up, I breathe her in as I whisper the next line. "Stay with me, baby stay with me," I know my voice conveys the real question as I feel her arms wrap around my shoulders in response. I don't even attempt to sing the rest of the verses, focusing instead on listening to the words and relishing in the feel of her close to me. I feel her start to hum before I hear it. Our feet move us slowly in a circle till the final notes start to approach. I move myself slightly away from her, wanting to see into her eyes once more for the end of the song. She meets my gaze easily and switches to singing. "When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly."

My unnecessary breath catches as she looks at me like I'm the only thing in the world right now, like I matter to her. I...It's overwhelming. The feelings in my head, the palpitations of my heart, the heat of her skin touching mine. It's all of a sudden overwhelming and confusing. My body instinctively takes a step away from her, from the source, creating much needed space. I release her waist to create some more distance and I feel her arms unwind from around my neck.

"Are you okay?" Lazuli asks, looking worried.

"Yes...No...I don't know." I answer, honestly not sure what's wrong with me. "I just needed, some space." I shrink in on myself. Feeling small again.

"Okay. That's okay Peridot. I won't push you into anything. You're safe with me." She's still close enough for me to breathe in her scent and that centers me a little as I nod my head in response.

"Would you like me to leave for a while?" She asks hesitantly.

"NO!" I reply too quickly, too loudly. "I mean, no. That is not necessary. I'm sure you're tired from flying so much everyday anyway." I try and keep the bitterness out of my voice but her slight flinch tells me I did a bad job of it.

Even still, she replies, "You're right. I'll probably stick to the barn for a few days. I have been out a lot. Perhaps we could work on the fields a little bit?"

"That would be acceptable. Pumpkin has missed you." I try not to sound like I care too much, but I couldn't be happier.

"I'm sure he has," Lazuli replies with a smirk.

"Would you like to help me get the tractor put back together?" I ask hopefully, not ready to be away from her.

She shrugs, "Sure."

I turn the music off of repeat and start the next song before we get to work.


	3. All I Want

Not kissing Peridot last night was extravagantly hard, much harder than it should have been for a gem my age. I was seconds away from leaning in when I felt her start to tremble and pull away. Ironic considering what I had just been singing. I could see the confusion and resulting fear in her eyes though and that alone stopped me harder than anything else could.

I shored up my patience once more and took some metaphorical steps back in my head. She wasn't ready yet and that's okay. Last night proved that she is starting to move in the right direction.

True to my word, I've resolved to spend more time at the barn. No more running away and hiding my emotions. I mean, I'll still be hiding them mostly, but there is no point in pretending like I don't care anymore. Also, while I gave her space last night, I'm going to be working hard now to slowly pop that space bubble of hers...starting now.

We finished getting the tractor repaired last night (aka-she did all the work and I just floated her stuff as needed or lifted items that were too heavy for her) and so today is the test drive.

"LAZULI!" the little nerd yells unnecessarily down to me from her spot on the tractor seat. "DO YOU WANNA RIDE TOO?!"

I look up at the seat and realize a fact that she obviously hadn't considered before her offer and smirk.

"Sure," I reply, getting up from my corner.

I climb the tractor slowly instead of my normal method of flying up. It'll make what I'm about to do easier. It's not until I'm practically at the top that the triangle head realizes the flaw in her invitation and starts looking around for a solution. I already have a solution though. I grab the tractor steering wheel with one hand to hold myself in place and I wrap my other arm around her middle and pull her into me.

"Lazuli what are you...? She starts ask before I cut her off by lifting her easily up and sliding myself down into the single person tractor seat and placing her back down, though this time into my lap.

She squirms uncomfortably and I can see her blushing but she keeps herself looking forward. "T-this iissn't what I had in mind!" She stutteringly yells, her default volume.

"Oh?" I shoot back innocently, my smirk still in place. "And did you have a better idea? There is only one seat after all. This seemed the most effective method." I try sounding purely logical but I'm not sure how much of my orneriness bleeds through.

"I...well..yes. This position is optimal for the given space." Peridot agrees, trying to sound in control again. It's cute.

I lean in so that my face is next to hers and so that my chin is on her shoulder before saying "So, shall we?" I can feel her body move as she gulps and nods emphatically. I move back and slowly wrap my arms around her as she starts the tractor, for safety reasons obviously.

A few hours later, I strike again (getting down from the tractor barely counted as an attempt cause she practically jumped off the tractor in her haste to get off of my lap and run away). Peridot is sitting up in the truck bed, just staring off into the distance. I know she is waiting for me to join her for our nightly camp pining hearts marathon. She usually yells for me though.

I fly up after a few moments consideration of what to say to her. "Hey Peridot. We starting season 5 tonight?" I begin with as I land.

I can see her visibly shake off whatever was on her mind as I mention the infamous season 5. "Do we have to?!" She complains loudly, practically whining. "That season is literal trash. The character..." the dork continues her explanations as I sit down next to her, keeping my usual space for now. "and that is why we should skip it!"

"Okay," I agree with a shrug. "Christmas special?"

"Much better." She easily falls into my trap, getting up to retrieve the tape from the stack.

While her back is turned, I smoothly slide to the center of the couch, still not in her space, but closer. She doesn't notice right away and it isn't until she's gotten the show started and is getting comfortable in her own seat that I see her do a double take from the peripheral of my vision but I ignore it in favor of watching the show, bidding my time.

Unbeknownst to the CPH nerd, I have been watching and rewatching this episode anytime she is not around (blame my hopeless romantic heart), and have memorized one of the Christmas songs. I tried having Steven find a CD of it for me, but the one he got sounded different so I dutifully memorized it from the video.

Not soon enough, the scene came. On screen, Percy picks up the guitar from beside the couch they are sitting on and starts to play. I start to hum along to the tune, causing a very focused small bean to jump.

"I don't need a lot for Christmas." I sing a slow duet with Percy. "There is just on thing I need." I steal a glance over at her. I've captured her attention. "I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree." Percy and I pause. I know that at this part he looks up soulfully , but that doesn't feel right for Peridot and I. Instead I move a little closer, looking down into my lap, hoping she understands at last what I'm trying to say. "I just want you for my own, more that you could ever know" my voice starts to break but I try to contain it. "Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas, is you." I resolutely don't look at her, fixing my eyes on the screen, gripping the couch on either side of me now as Percy and I repeat one last time. "Yeah all I want for Christmas, is you."

On the screen, Percy is leaning in for a kiss, but I just sit quietly and wait. The next move is Peridot's to make or not make.

Seconds tick by in silence. Then minutes. I prepare to move away as the episode is finishing up but I feel a shift beside me and a hand touch mine before I move. I look over and meet Peridot's eyes as she starts to sing. "I'm not sure what this is supposed to be," Her breath catches "but, when the time comes" I'm surprised as she skips to the end. "baby don't run." She moves closer to me as she breaths out, "Just kiss me slowly." Her eyes shift down from my eyes, telegraphing her intentions.

I lean down and meet her lips on their way towards mine. She squeals a little in surprise into my lips which causes me to smirk. It's a strange feeling to have her lips on mine, but not unpleasant at all. After a few seconds, I pull away to see the little cutie's face. She's completely flushed a light green and I can't stop myself from ducking down and gently kissing her forehead.

"You okay?" I ask, slowly linking my fingers with hers. Vigorously, she nods her head.

"Good." I smile at her, settling back into the couch, happy with this new feeling in my heart.

And that is how I fell in love with Peridot, facet 5, through music.


End file.
